Shaw High School helps fellow student who lost home

Shaw High School is working hard this holiday season to help give back to the community, and to one of their own.

Damion Alexander, a student with special needs who attends Shaw, recently lost his home in a fire.

The outpour of support for Damion and his family has been overwhelming. In the midst of their Three Weeks of Giving Campaign, Shaw designated week one as "Dollars for Damion".

Principal Michael Barden was unable to tell us the amount dollar amount raised.

"I can tell you our goal was $500, and I don't know an exact count right now because money is coming in still," Barden said. "But we have basically quadrupled that amount."

With all of the money raised, the school was able to take Damion shopping so that he could get all new clothes and any personal items he would need around his new house.

Senior class president Alexandria Casey explained how this fundraiser has helped Shaw High School come together as a family.

"Coming together as a family and a community and everything I think that really helped him out and helped us out. It made us closer as a whole," Casey said. "And the Dollars for Damion makes him not only have a home outside of Shaw but within Shaw so that he knows he has a place to come to here."

Now that week one of the Three Weeks of Giving Campaign is in the books, Shaw has shifted focus to their clothing drive benefiting the Muskogee County Clothing Bank.

Principal Barden explained this week's mission.

"We know there are a lot of high school and middle school sized kids that need clothes," Barden said. "And Muskogee County Clothing bank is in need of those type clothes. So our kids wanted to come together and we are asking them to bring a gently used item and we are collecting those tomorrow."

Following this week's clothing drive, next week Shaw will cap of their campaign with a canned food drive that Principal Barden anticipates will have similar results to the Dollars for Damion effort.

Youngstown State University student Albert Maruna was caught red-handed and arrested this week after he allegedly attempted to have sex with a 15-year-old boy, who turned out to be an undercover officer.

Youngstown State University student Albert Maruna was caught red-handed and arrested this week after he allegedly attempted to have sex with a 15-year-old boy, who turned out to be an undercover officer.